Follow Me

A/N: Thank you to all that have reviewed the story so far, and a thank you in advance to all those that will continue to do so. I have to admitt it does an ego good to see the number of people that are enjoying this story.



A/N2: I am sorry this site wont let me respond to the reviews or your questions. I have seen alot of people who take up page after page of their chapters to respond to reviews and it has always frustrated me when I am reading so I wont do it myself. However, if you have a question...I can respond through the yahoo group that I set up so feel free to ask anything you wish. Primarily it is to give me a place that I can post my stories to, and hopefully get some useful feedback on chapters before they are posted elsewhere on the net. By the way there is a picture of Norische on the group... http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Of_Pens_and_Ponders/?yguid=104171974







[...] or {...} = mindspeak

~...~ = parseltongue

\'...\' = thought





Chapter 35



“Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley may I introduce Kain of ShadowHaven. Kain is the King of the Vampyric Nation and Pari’s brother.” Norische extended his hand toward Kain. Molly and Arthur both smiled and nodded towards Kain. Molly was a little shocked when Kain got up and knelt before her then kissed her hand in greeting. It was bad enough for an upstart young man to be bowing and kneeling before her but to have a King kneel before her practically had Molly in tears. Hermione and Ginny sighed at how romantic it all was, but the rest of the Weasleys were what best be described as gobsmacked. Even Arthur, who had watched how Norische and his mates had honored Molly previously, was shocked speechless.



“Oh please, please get up…your going to have me in tears.” Molly shook her head not truly believing Kain’s behavior.



“As you wish.” Kain rose and went to sit back in his chair.



“I’m sorry Mrs. Weasley. I know it is hard for you to be treated in such a manner, but quite honestly it is just as hard for us not to honor you as we have always been told is the proper way. You have brought six fine warriors into this world, and a beautiful, and skilled young maiden. Not to honor you for such an incredible accomplishment is to dishonor everything we hold dear.” Norische explained, he knew that all the formal manners made Molly uncomfortable but he desperately didn’t want to upset the Minde Cladire.



“It’s alright Norische. I am just a little taken back by all this.” Molly took a deep breath and tried to refocus to the matter at hand.



The Minde Cladire wasn’t offended, Norische sighed and smiled at Mrs. Weasley.



“Great… Now as to why we are all here today…” Norische began…



As soon as Norische started speaking, Lista started serving the evening meal. As traditional Lista presented Molly with a small sample of each thing that was to be served that night and bowed waiting for her approval.



Molly simply looked at the tray of small bowls and plates confused, not knowing what the handsome elf was waiting for or why he had presented these things to her.



“Mrs. Weasley, since you are the viewed as the highest ranking individual present, Lista has brought you a sample of all the items to be served tonight for your approval, before it may be served.” Norische explained.



“Highest ranking….” Molly’s eyes got huge. “But Kain is the King, and Pari…she is a Minde Cladire as well and is much more experienced than I am at all of this…” Molly’s voice rose with each word.



“Kain may be King but he is still a male. Hence the only reason that he was allowed to maintain the throne is because Pari wishes it that way. And Pari may be over 8000 yrs old but she has yet to produce an heir to the throne. Since you are the Mother of seven, you have a higher ranking within our society. Please do not allow our ways to distress you, if you wish Lista can ask Pari for her permission to serve and her approval of the dishes he has prepared.” Norische did not wish to upset Molly, but the Elvin nations were even stricter on formality than the Vampyric nations and they too were matriarcle.



“Please Norische, that would be so much easier.” Molly fretted.



“No problem at all. Lista, please inform all the others, that as of this point…yourself and all other staff shall turn to Pari, if any authorization or verification is necessary. Also please inform them all to use informal manners towards Minde Cladire Weasley, as per her request.” Norische instructed, Lista immediately bowed to Molly and then removed the tray and presented it to Pari for her judgment.



“Absolutely delicious Lista, you have out done yourself again.” Pari practically purred as she sampled the dishes presented before her.



Lista practically beamed with pleasure at the Minde Cladire’s words. It had been so long since he had the pleasure of cooking for more than the staff and occasionally Kain. Lista was a high elf, his family had served the royal families for millennias, he himself had severed ShadowHaven for almost three thousand years with pride and distinction. Being high elf he had the traditional blond hair and gray blue eyes of the royals of Lothlorian. Thankfully though he had served the young master long enough to be able to deal well with his little idiosyncrasies. To bypass tradition was practically an insult, but if that is what the Minde Cladire wishes, then so be it.



Lista bowed deeply and went then bent low to retrieve the tray, turned and disappeared though two large double doors. Moments later several servers brought out a vast array of steaming dishes and ornate chilled salads. One rather young female elf went around pouring wine for everyone, except Norische of course, for him she poured a sparkling juice drink. It took several minutes for the food to be served but as soon as it hit the table and the servants disappeared everyone waited quietly to see what form of protocol was expected.



“Blast it all, pass me the chicken, I’m starved.” Norische poked Severus and indicated the chicken and penne pasta dish that was placed just beyond his reach.



Severus chuckled and reached out for the dish. This broke the silence and soon people were passing around dishes and chatting freely. Servants came out occasionally to refill glasses and remove dishes but otherwise it was like any normal dinner at Hogwarts.



“This is incredible! I have never had anything like this.” Hermione took another bite of the delicate fish that had been served tonight.



“It is Kari. A whitefish that is quite plentiful in our lake. It is one of my favorites; Lista is practically a god when it comes to its preparation. The use of carefully chosen herbs allows the true flavor to be captured and released ten fold.” Kain smiled at the young brunette.



“It is absolutely delicious!” Hermione closed her eyes and relished each bite.



“Yeah and this pink stuff is really good too.” Ron indicated the cold salad that had been placed in front of him.



“That is called Naska. It is made from fruit that is a lot like a cross between a strawberry and a peach. Then they add pineapple, cherries, and whipped cream and wa-la.” Chris explained. “It is an elvin fruit, as far as I know you can’t get it outside of the lands.”



“Oh you can have it imported but it is incredibly difficult. It is one of those things that we are in negotiations with the Ministry with. They feel that the Naska fruit should be restricted and only be allowed import by someone within the medi fields.” Kain grumbled.



“Why is that?” Molly spoke up, the dish had been quite delicious but she didn’t see how such a delicious fruit could be so controversial.



“Naska fruit, when fermented and distilled properly, is the only known cure for Wizarding Measles. And hence they wish it to be recognized for its healing properties and not for its palatability.”



“Wizarding Measles? I thought there was no cure for those, you just have to let them run their course and treat the symptoms as best as you can.” Molly gasped.



“No M’lady. They have known about Naska fruit and its capabilities for centuries. They just wish to place such horrendous restrictions on it that it has yet to be offered to the general population.” Kain shook his head. He had fought to get Naska fruit as well as several other herbs, fruits and vegetables allowed into the outside world, to try and give outsiders a little better idea of some of the cultural uniqueness of both the Vampyric and Elvin Nations.



The conversation continued along those lines until the rest of the meal was cleared away and tea served. Norische realized that the subject at hand could not be avoided any longer.



“Excuse me….excuse me, everyone.” Norische’s voice echoed through the dinning hall. Immediately all that were gathered there became quiet and attentive.



“Thank you. As much as I hate to…I feel that we must proceed with the reason that we are all here. There are several things we must discuss tonight and to be quite honest, each one is going to be a challenge in its own nature.” Norische looked into the eyes of each person gathered around the huge table.



“Some of the things that we need to discuss are known by most of you but there are other things…secrets… that have been hidden that it is time to reveal.” Norische extended his hand to Harry who stood up and walked over to sit on the arm of the chair next to him. “Harry, I know you have kept many things secret for a very long time, but you…more than anyone else here…understands the need to be told the truth…the whole truth. I will not tell them without your permission, but I will say…they have the right to know.” Norische reached up and caressed Harry’s cheek, he could see the inner turmoil that Harry was going through. He knew that Harry hated what had happened to him, that he felt like a failure for not being able to protect himself from his muggle relatives.



Harry thought about it for a while but nodded his head slowly. “I don’t know what you all will think about me when you know the truth, but… Norische is right, to understand what is going on and be able to make the right choices you need to know everything.” Harry’s shoulders slumped in defeat, but only for a moment… Norische reached over and pulled Harry onto his lap and allowed his mate to be to find comfort in his arms for the second time that day.



Hermione, Ron and the rest of the Weasleys watched with confused, even gobsmacked looks on their faces.



“Harry dear, what’s going on?” Molly asked in a motherly tone.



Harry just shook his head and buried his face in Norische’s shoulder, not finding the strength to answer the person he had thought of as a mother since his second year. Norische knew that this was probably one of the hardest things that Harry had ever done, he began to rub small circles on Harry’s back, soothing his frayed nerves.



“I am sorry Mrs. Weasley this is very hard for Harry. It is something he has kept hidden for his entire life. Please, I ask for your patience.” Norische said gently, and was relieved that the Minde Cladire nodded even though she looked at the boy in his arms with such sadness in her eyes.



“Since it might take Harry a moment to gather himself, I will start for him. Some of you already know how his relatives, the Dursleys, treated him. Or at least you know part of it. Unfortunately, Harry never really told anyone how bad it really was. From the time he was old enough to reach the stove in the kitchen he was forced to cook for the family. He scrubbed the floors, did the laundry, tended the yard, cooked and cleaned. Honestly Harry was treated no better than a common house elf. For the first eleven years of his life Harry lived in a cupboard under the stairs of his Uncle and Aunt’s home, in fact his first letter from Hogwarts was addressed to ‘the cupboard under the stairs, #4 Privet Drive’.” Norische explained, Molly and Arthur gasped at his words. They knew it had been rough on Harry but they were just beginning to realize exactly how poorly Harry was honestly treated. “The abuse didn’t stop with just being their personal slave, Harry was practically starved. Apparently it was one of his Aunt’s favorite punishment, any time Harry did anything wrong he was locked in his cupboard and not allowed out for days, on more than one occasion he was locked in with no food or water for three or four days.”



“Oh Harry… please say that they didn’t do that.” Molly was crying for her adopted son.



Harry sat up, his eyes moist with unshed tears. “I can’t. When I was six, I broke a plate while I was washing the dishes. Aunt Petunia locked me in the cupboard for four days, no food and no water. Then when she let me out she had Uncle Vernon beat me with a belt for soiling myself and making her house smell like the ‘piece of filth that I was’. I think the only reason she let me out was because the smell was getting bad. I couldn’t help it, they wouldn’t let me out to go to the loo, so….” Harry bowed his head in shame. “I learned not to eat or drink too much after that, just so when she locked me in again, I wouldn’t make a mess. When I was eight I nicked a couple of bottles from the refuge and kept one with water in it in my cupboard, the other was so that I wouldn’t…well…soil myself, if you get what I mean.”



“Oh Harry….” Remus never realized how hard it had been on Harry. Dumbledore had refused to tell him where the Dursley’s lived stating that the more people that knew where Harry was the more at risk the boy would be. Not wishing to endanger Lily and James’ son, he had agreed, now he honestly wished he had looked for Harry himself and had not taken Dumbledore’s word that Harry was being treated well and loved.



“That’s not all Dad. The beat him.” Norische started but was quickly stopped by the gasps and cries of outrage. He waited until everyone calmed down before he continued, which took several minutes. “From what Harry has told me, his uncle beat him severely anytime he did anything remotely related to magic. He stated that when he was twelve years old his uncle beat him so bad that he ended up in the A & E, with 8 broken bones and his jaw wired shut. And it wasn’t the only time he was beaten to the point of broken bones, dislocated joints, and bruises too numerous to count, with the exception of three times he was never taken to the healers either. That is one of the reasons that Madam Pomfrey knows about the abuse. Harry was having a problem with his hand, a loss of feeling in his fingers if I am not mistaken. She did a scan and found he had had a spiral break in his arm that had never been healed properly, and was forced to re-break his arm in order to allow it to heal correctly.”



Ron and Hermione had known of some of the abuse but neither was prepared to hear the details. Hermione was crying, leaning on Ron whose face was bright red with his anger. Norische watched as Ron’s eyes met each one of his brother’s, as their eyes met each one made an almost non-descript nod, barely noticeable to anyone not paying close attention. He knew that as soon as the time was right, all the Weasley boys would be paying the Dursleys a little visit. For some reason Norische got a rather warm feeling from knowing that Harry’s adopted family fully intended to get retribution for all the pain that his mate had suffered. Once again Norische caught himself thinking of Harry as his mate, unfortunately as much as he wished to this was not the time to think about that.



“Harry… I know that discussing all this has been hard on you. But I also know you haven’t told me everything. There’s more isn’t there?” Norische whispered to where just Harry could hear it, he didn’t want to force Harry to continue if it would be too much for him.



Harry sat silently looking down to his hands. “That is the reason when I told you about my grandfather that you felt comfortable enough to tell me about the Dursleys. Because you knew what if felt like. Isn’t that right?” Norische asked gently.



Remus gasped, as did Sirius, Pari, and Severus.



“Was it Dudley or Vernon?” Norische asked calmly, watching Harry closely to see his reaction. When Harry didn’t answer, he knew. “It was both of them.”



Harry tried to swallow the knot in his throat but it simply wouldn’t go away. Barely, just barely Harry gave a nod.



At that Norische pulled Harry close to him and wrapped his arms around the trembling boy. Harry had tried to be so strong during all this, but as Norische’s arms closed around him he let it all go. All the pain he had held in, the tears, the fear…it all came rushing forward.



Sirius got up and walked around the table over to where Norische was sitting, at first he tried to reach for Harry but as soon as Harry felt someone else touching him, other than Norische he gasped and curled himself into a little ball on Norische’s lap as if he was expecting to be beaten.



Seeing this Sirius began to cry, he knew it wasn’t his fault…he had been in Azkaban and he had no way of knowing what was going on with Harry. But the guilt he was feeling was weighing him down, Sirius could barely stand it.



Remus came over and wrapped his arms around his old friend. He knew how much pain he was going through right now. He knew how helpless Sirius felt; he felt the same pain, the same helpless uncertainty.



“Shhhh…. It’s ok. No one is going to hurt you. No one is ever going to touch you again.” Norische whispered in Harry’s ear over and over again as he rubbed his back and held him close to him.



[Is there anything we can do?] Draco asked, his eyes red from the tears he had been crying.



[I don’t think so. Harry is in a lot of pain right now; I honestly don’t know what else I can do for him. I wish I did.] Norische sighed.



Norische looked up from Harry and saw that most of the people at the table were affected by what Harry had said. Ron was holding Hermione as she cried, Blaise was comforting Ginny, Molly was sobbing uncontrollably in Arthur’s arms, Chris was holding Draco close to him as he cried silently, Remus was trying to calm down Sirius and Father was rubbing Remus’ back as he tried to give his friend what comfort he could. Pari and Kain looked as if they wished to kill something. Bill, Charlie, Fred and George were basically sitting there in shock, each looking at the others trying to figure out what to do next.



“Father, can you help me get Harry upstairs to bed. He can sleep in our rooms tonight, I honestly don’t think it is a good idea for him to be alone right now.” Norische stated as he looked over to his mates to make sure that it was acceptable to them, after receiving nods from both Chris and Draco, Norische looked at his father.



“Of course. Harry… Harry can you walk or do you wish some help?” Severus asked in a soft gentle voice.



Harry just shook his head but said nothing. “Harry, would you mind very much if father carried you upstairs?” Norische whispered in Harry’s ear.



At first Harry didn’t answer but after a moment he shook his head. Severus stood up and walked over to the other side of Norische. Reaching down he gently slipped his arms underneath Harry and lifted him into his arms.



Norische, Chris and Draco followed Severus and Harry upstairs to their suite. Severus gently laid Harry in the middle of their bed then turned to his son. “Norische, if you need anything…if any of you need anything just call.” With that he left Norische and his mates to themselves.



Harry was curled up in a fetal position on the huge bed, just lying there trembling, so unsure of himself… unsure of what was going to happen… unsure of what to do now. Norische could feel Harry’s confusion and pain, he wanted to take it all away, he wanted to give the boy/man before him the love that he so richly deserved.



Chris walked over to Norische and wrapped him in his arms, Norische felt Draco do the same. “He is one of us too luv, lets go to bed.” Chris leaned back and kissed Norische on the lips then gently helped him out of his clothes.



In a few moments the four of them were curled up in the oversized bed. Norische held Harry close to him as he finally found peace in a dreamless sleep. Draco lay on Harry’s other side with his arms wrapped around the soon to be addition to their family, Chris lay spooned behind Draco.



For the first time there was balance, there was completion. There was four elements, four directions, four watchers, and now their were four precious hearts, four battered souls struggling to find love, praying to trust again, reaching out, longing…that night a new beginning was written. A Half Breed, a Vampyre, a Veela, and a Wizard began a new journey.